As already reported, I am trying several different waxes on my Luthien this summer. Since April I have applied Fuzion and Souveran (and Ultimate Quik Wax, too, but I put that into a different category). Yesterday I decided to do a mid-summer mini-detail, remove the old waxes and apply a wax I've been eager to apply--Swissvax "Best of Show" (Smaragd). Here was my process: 1) Cleaned and brushed the tires with Eimann Fabrik Tire Cleaner and my versa-angle tire brush. The Eimann Fabrik appeared to do a good job, though I do not have enough experience to compare with other tire cleaners. 2) Cleaned the alloy rims with Gold Class Shampoo. I used a boar's hair brush, followed up with a shampoo-soaked microfiber towel to catch any grime that remained. I do not usually clay the rims, but since everyone says that it's a good thing to do, I thought I should do it this time. The clay didn't pick up much, but it did pick up a little. 3) Emptied the bucket and prepared a new batch of Gold Class car wash and proceeded to wash the rest of the car, using a Megs' microfiber wash mitt. I really like the Megs' wash mitt. I dryed the car with a couple of ultra-soft waffle-weave towels I recently purchased from PakShak (excellent drying towels!) and quickly pulled the car into the garage. The sun was getting pretty hot. 4) Dried door and trunk jambs and used a leaf blower to blow water out of crevices and secret places. It's all futile. No matter what you do, water from nowhere is going drip out precisely at the moment you apply the wax to the car. I think it has to do with parallel worlds and dimensional wormholes. 5) My plan was to clean the paint using Lusso Revitalizing Creme, which seems to be a combination paint cleaner and glaze. I had a bunch of water spots on my front end, which had been inflicted upon Luthien during the long rainy days in May and early June. I assumed (don't ask me why--I simply assumed) that the paint cleaner would remove the water spots. Wrong. I tried another paint cleaner. No improvement. I then pulled out the Ultimate Compound and applied some by hand. Again no improvement. I then understood that if I wanted to eliminate the water spots, which I most certainly did want to do, I would have to pull out my Flex. I hate having to tape the car. I don't know why I rebel against it. I just don't want to spend the time to do it, yet I know if I don't, I'll regret it forever. And so I avoid using my polisher just so I won't have to tape. But avoiding the polisher was not an option that day ... so I grabbed my rolls of painter's tape and proceeded to tape the trim and medallions. Which polish to use, though. I decided against SwirlX. I knew from my previous polishing experience that SwirlX is ineffectual on the front end of my car, which was re-painted last year; but I didn't want to jump immediately to M105. So I compromised and chose Ultimate Compound. And it seemed to work. Under the revealing illumination of the Brinkman, I didn't see any water spots in my test spot. So I proceeded to polish the hood and front fenders. And then I looked at the paint from various angles ... and to my dismay, I saw that some water spots still remained. Unfortunately I didn't have time to do it all again. Those recalcitrant water spots will just have to wait until another time ... and there will be another time! 6) Applied Lusso Revitalizing Creme to the entire car. The stuff has a thick creamy consistency and smells and feels like #7, but the color distinguishes them: #7 is a puke green; LRC is a puke brown. LRC was easy to apply and remove; but you have to be careful to keep the applicator wet with the product. If it dries on the applicator, it hardens and can mar the paint. That happened to me in a small spot when I attempted to rub the cream too vigorously. Fortunately the Flex was ready at hand, and I quickly removed the marring. I trust that LRC properly prepared the paint surface for waxing. I do know that it effectively removed some stains that had suddenly appeared last week after a day at the local Honda service department, stains that neither washing nor quick detailer could remove. I also think it added a touch of oily wetness, but that may be my imagination. In any case, I like the stuff. 7) Waxed the car. Last winter I purchased a two-thirds full tub of Swissvax "Best of Show," sold in the U.S. under the ridiculous name "Smaragd," which to my mind sounds like the name of a dragon in Tolkien's Middle-earth mythology. I don't know what possessed me, but at the time it seemed to be a good deal, and I figured I might never have another opportunity to purchase what many consider, dollar for dollar, to be the best carnauba wax in the world. Read the detailing forums and one finds few Best of Show detractors. BOS has a fruity smell, but neither my daughter nor I could pick it out (passion fruit maybe?). It is a hard wax, but after a couple of swipes it softens up. The directions suggest that it be applied by hand, but I wasn't about to waste a single molecule of this expensive wax by hand application. It was easy to apply. I waited ten minutes, per directions, and then buffed it off without incident. By this time it was about 8:00 p.m. I pulled the car outside and examined it from various angles in the soft evening light. Luthien looked beautiful ... but did she look more beautiful than she did when she was dressed in Souveran, Fuzion, NXT, 845, Reflections, or Harly Wax? I honestly could not say. I summoned my wife and asked her if she could discern a difference between BOS and Souveran, which had been applied in late May and which she loved. She confessed that she chould not see an improvement. My favorite wax is the last wax I have used--such is my mantra. But I can't say this about Best of Show. BOS gives a great carnauba look, wet and deep, but so does my still-favorite Souveran. BOS is reputed to be three-times more durable than Souveran, but doing the summer months I do not worry about durability. I like to wax Luthien once a month, whether she needs it or not. So appearance for me is decisive. Given its price, I would expect a significant improvement in looks from BOS over either Souveran or Fuzion, but at this point I cannot say that I see it. Perhaps my eyes have not yet been sufficiently trained to see the nuances between waxes. Moreoever, I did experience some sweating after the second coat, which I assume was due to user-error, given universal report that BOS is exceptionally easy to work with. Either I applied it too thick, or I did not allow it to dry sufficiently, or both. I'll have to be more careful the next time (though I thought I was being careful). I certainly am not going to give up on BOS, but I cannot attest that it is the best wax I have used to date. The quest continues. 8) Sealed the rims with NXT. 9) Dressed the tires with Mother's Reflections Tire Care. I like the matte look this dressing leaves: very low gloss--the rubber simply gains a deep blackness. Here's a photograph of one of the tires: 10) Dressed the exterior plastic trim with Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus. I bought this last month on sale after we purchased our Honda CR-V. It's expensive. I would not have purchased it at full retail. I wanted something that would effectively protect the CR-V's trim and cladding from UV radiation and pollution. A single application is supposed to last for three months. We shall see. The product comes with a large, strangely shaped foam applicator, which is far too unwieldy for the trim on my S2000. I used a Megs' foam applicator instead. Trim Guard Plus is supposed to be applied sparingly, which I attempted to do, but I think I applied it too thick at times. There is a learning curve to this product. It did darken and shine up the trim though. Now it's just a matter of seeing how long it lasts. 11) Applied a second coat of Best of Show the next morning. 12) Removed the exhaust tips and polished them up with Hot Rims Mag & Aluminum Polish. 13) I pulled the car into the driveway for the final wipe and summoned my 22 year old daughter, recently graduated from college, to come take a look. She did so under grudging protest. I began, "Now let me describe to you my detailing process ..." "Dad, she interrupted, "I'm not interested." She walked around the car and in a tone expressing infinite boredom said, "It looks shiny. It always looks shiny." She then pointed to the driver-side window: "It's dirty"--and then turned and went inside. She was of course right. I hadn't cleaned the windows yet. Sadly, the grease spots on the window appear to have been the one thing that impressed her. Sigh. Perhaps I should mention here that my favorite microfiber towel for removing polishes and waxes is Megs' Ultimate Wipe. I used nine of them for this mini-detail. 14) Pulled the car back into the garage and proceeded to clean the windshield and side and rear windows. I have been using Stoner's Invisible Glass for nine months now and have been well-pleased with it; but this time it couldn't remove the grease spots my daughter had noticed. So I went inside and grabbed a can of Sprayway. I don't usually use it, as I find the foam aerosol difficult to control. The cleaner seems to go everywhere. So I sprayed the Sprayway on a microfiber towel and then applied it to the grease spots. With sufficient rubbing, the spots were eliminated. Hail Sprayway. 15) Cleaned the dash and vinyl trim with 1Z Cockpit Premium (I really like the matte look it leaves) and then applied 303 Protectant to the plastic headrests/roll bars. I always drive with the top down during spring, summer, and fall, weather permitting. Given the exposure to UV radiation, some 303 protection is probably desirable. Here are some pics of Luthien in her Swissvax glory: Luthien looks great--at least she looked great until this evening, when it rained on her on our way home from the Cafe Asia. (Speaking of the Cafe Asia, its Pho is excellent. If you have never experienced Pho, then you are missing out on the greatest soup in the world.) The beading was fun--all of those water droplets running off the hood like lemmings--but all I could think about was how the rain was ruining all of my hard work. How fleeting is beauty. Here endeth the lesson. Cheers, Al
Looks great man..... but even better, was the write up!! GREAT STORY!! LOL Had me chuckling through most of it.
car looks awesome! where BOS will shine over souveran is the next time you go and wash the car the dirt will fall off like nothing, and the just waxed look will stay much longer than souveran. btw I love Pho, im like the only non asian there whenever i eat at pho places
I always love your write-ups. I have to admit that I cringed a little when you stated that you used the same bucket from washing your wheels to wash the car AFTER rinsing it out..still makes me cringe though..
I do rinse out the bucket well ... but now you have me cringing. Perhaps I should reconsider my practice. Thanks. :cheers:
